New York (AFP) – OG Anunoby’s game-clinching tip-in to put New York on the brink of an NBA title will go down as one of the greatest plays in Knicks history, coach Mike Brown said. The Knicks staged the biggest comeback in Finals history as they erased a 29-point deficit to beat the San Antonio Spurs 107-106 on Wednesday and take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven championship series. They’ll now have three chances to clinch their first title since 1973, starting with game five on Saturday in San Antonio.
“It’s unbelievable,” Brown said of Anunoby’s basket, which saw him rise to pat home Jalen Brunson’s three-point miss. “The tip, how he had to control it and tip it in — that has to be the most iconic shot in the history of New York basketball.” Brown had challenged Anunoby to step up his offensive rebounding.
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“Told me I need to get on the glass, offensive glass especially, and just use my ability, size, strength, athleticism, to make an impact on the offensive glass,” Anunoby said. “And it happened at the end.” It was a stunning outcome at Madison Square Garden, despite the Knicks making a habit of comeback wins. They rallied from 22 points down with less than eight minutes left in regulation to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in overtime in game one of their Eastern Conference finals sweep. They erased a 14-point second-half deficit to stun the Spurs in San Antonio in game one of the Finals.
Anunoby said it’s just a matter of staying with it. “We’re a resilient group. We’ve been through a lot. We’ve come back plenty of times when we’re behind. Just staying with it, weathering the storm, not being too down or angry or frustrated. Just staying with it, cut (the deficit) down to 18, cut it down to six, push it through. It’s a 48-minute game, just play till the end.”
The end on Wednesday proved to be Anunoby leaping to control the rebound of Brunson’s shot and slot it home. He said he didn’t have the angle for a dunk “so I tried to tip it in softly and it went in.” “Right hand from God,” teammate Karl-Anthony Towns said, although he wasn’t surprised, adding “That’s OG.” Knicks fans long starved of championship chances erupted.
“It feels cool,” Anunoby said. “Everyone’s pretty excited.” “I’m excited, too,” he said, sparking laughter. “But we’re focused on the next game now.”
© 2024 AFP
